Objective

Method

Cross-sectional survey of a school-based clinic population.

We asked 130 nulliparous high school students who were seeking routine health care at an urban school-based clinic to complete an anonymous questionnaire concerning risk factors for and attitudes about teen pregnancy.

Results

The respondents were grouped according to the effect that contact with gravid classmates had on their desire for conception : increased desire (n=13), no change in desire (n=59), and decreased desire (n=49).

The analysis disclosed no significant group differences for age (mean ± SD, 16.3 ±1.2 years), sex (65% female), welfare use (20%), or living situation (85% lived with a parent).

The increased-desire group had significantly more sociodemographic risk factors for teen pregnancy than did the groups with no change and decreased desire.

Conclusions

Our findings support the study hypothesis that that never-pregnant students in the increased-desire group had more sociodemographic risk factors for teen pregnancy than did students in the groups with no change or decreased desire.

The results of this study may help to ally concerns about the adverse effect that the increased prevalence of gravid students in American schools might have on the childbearing attitudes of never-pregnant students.